The Rural Rebellion Against the Eight-Hour Day
Farmers argue that an initiative measure pushed by labor unions would spell ruin for the agricultural industry.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The first regularly submitted argument against the universal eight-hour bill, initiated by labor unions of the state, has come from the farmers. It was delivered to the Secretary of State last week by the Farmers' Educational and Co-operative Union of Walla Walla, Columbia, and Garfield counties. 'It would be hard to imagine any legislation more hostile to the best interests of the farmer than the proposed initiative measure No. 13,' says the argument, which asks who is to do the chores on Sunday and whether the farmer will have to hire an extra cook to get the Sunday meals for his harvest crews. The farmer is at the mercy of the elements when his crop has ripened, it is pointed out, and the delay incident to waiting for an eight-hour crew to do the work would be fatal. The argument concludes: 'The enactment of this measure would mean the ruin of agricultural operations in a state where, in view of the present high cost of living, it is easy to see that a blow aimed at the farmer will hit the prosperity of our commonwealth in its most vital part.'
“The farmer is at the mercy of the elements when his crop has ripened... the delay incident to waiting for an eight-hour crew to do the work would be fatal.”
This debate highlights the historic tension between urban industrial labor movements and agricultural interests in Washington. Today, the fight over labor standards for farmworkers continues to echo these same concerns about the thin margins of seasonal harvesting versus the rights of the workers.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.